Female Ejaculation: Is It Pee or Not?

The latest evidence in this ongoing debate

It's pretty widely accepted at this point that—while it's not super common—female ejaculation can happen. But the question remains: What is it, really? Is it—gasp—pee? A new French study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggests that, yes, some urine is probably involved.

For the study, the researchers analyzed seven women who reported “massive fluid emission during sexual stimulation”—i.e., those who tended to really “squirt” during orgasm. The idea was to find out where their fluid was actually coming from since in the past, most of the research theorized it was coming from the female prostate, which secretes fluid during orgasm.

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To get that info, researchers brought the subjects into the lab for a three-step process that specifically focused on the bladder: First, they asked the women to go to the bathroom and then gave them an ultrasound to see what their bladders looked like when they were totally empty. Next, they left the women alone in separate rooms to play—either with themselves, or with the help of a sex toy or their partner. Once the women reported feeling sufficiently aroused, the researchers came back in and gave them a second ultrasound—which showed that their bladders had filled up. For the last part, the women were left to reach climax. When they did, the researchers collected the fluid from the subsequent squirting in plastic bags for analysis—and they also gave them one final ultrasound, which showed that their bladders had emptied again.

So, what were the results? Let’s start with the facts from above: During sexual excitement, the women’s empty bladders filled up, and then, after they’d squirted, they were empty again—just as they’d been after they peed the first time. Which suggests that the women were probably releasing urine. But! There’s a caveat. The scientists also found that there was small amount of “prostatic secretions”—fluid from the prostate gland—in the fluid sample, which means that squirting is actually a combo of both pee and “prostatic secretions.” “Our results lead us to conclude that squirting and the so-called ‘female ejaculation’ essentially are two distinct events,” say the study authors.

Granted this was a small study—and all of the women in it were consistent squirters. Still, we totally get how you may still be a bit grossed out. After all, in the world of selective hearing, “combo” can easily be interpreted as “OMG OMG OMG there's pee in there.” But listen: It’s really just a small amount of pee, and sex experts say it’s really not a big deal.

“It’s not like you’re peeing on somebody—it’s very diluted urine,” says Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., research scientist at Indiana University and author of Sex Made Easy. What’s more, she also points out that there are even traces of pee in men’s, uh, fluid as well. “In both cases, the fluid comes through the urethra—only in women, it rests briefly in the bladder first,” says Herbenick. “In the end, we all just have to become comfortable with the fact that sex involves the genitals and the genitals are down there. It’s a big, messy thing—but it’s worth it!”

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